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Belmont Shore notches 2d 7s crown in 3 years

(San Francisco) Taylor Howden and Justin Boyd each scored twice as Belmont Shore raced past Schuylkill River 37-14 for its second national 7s crown in the past three years.

The match turned on the one-two punch of Boyd's 9th-minute shorthanded try and Ed Pitts' injury-time touchdown, made by a Shalom Suniula tap move just after Schuykill's advantage expired.

Having fallen behind 12-0 on tries by Howden and Boyd, the first-time finalists climbed back into contention behind Dan Wright's chip-and-chase score and the opportunity presented by Howden's yellow card. Yet Belmont went to half ahead 22-7, and through superior speed and use of possession, especially turnover ball, the Southern Californians left no doubt of the second stanza.

The one-sided final belied an tense pair of semis, which saw Belmont erase the (Minneapolis) Youngbloods 17-12 on Howden's 14th-minute score, and the tenacious Philadelphians stave off the high-profile Utah Warriors 24-22.

The upset was costly, however, as Schuylkill gamebreaker Greg Ambrogi injured his shoulder tackling Warrior flyer Maka Unufe. Ambrogi started the championship but lasted just three minutes.

Belmont also narrowly prevailed in its quarterfinal match against the Chicago Lions, the 2007 champs. In a 14-7 contest, Boyd saved a try tracking down Peter Tiberio and then replacement Alex Ross ran the winner in from midfield. Youngbloods too played a wild one, defeating the Woodland Exiles on the game's final play.

The 2011 tournament featured several youthful newcomers, including the Youngbloods and Middlesex, a team primarily comprising collegians from the Boston area. 'Young squads have done well. They could run all day,' Belmont coach James Walker observed after the final.

A year ago, the quarterfinalists comprised Old Puget Sound Beach, the Lions, Belmont, Life University, the Denver Barbarians, Nova, Aspen, and Old White of Atlanta. This year OPSB, the defending champ, failed to emerge from the Pacific Coast qualifier, while Nova, Life, *and* Aspen, and OMBAC were also missing from the Sheeran Field tournament.

For its part, Belmont deliberately sought to improve team speed after dropping the 2010 final, Walker said, pointing to the addition of Boyd and Ross. Also on the roster: San Diego State All-American Duncan Kelm.

Along the same lines, four of the tournament's six referees were under the age of 30. USARFU's referee managers believe that youthful fitness, along with specialized 7s training, in which American officials have been among the world's innovators, will help its best and brightest win overseas appointments.

In the consolation rounds, the Warriors overwhelmed Youngbloods 26-7 for third place; the Chicago Lions throttled Hawaii Marist 40-7 for the plate title; and San Francisco Golden Gate downed Boston 22-5 to win the bowl.

Saturday in Toronto, unforced errors cost the US a 28-22 loss to Canada. In a seesaw match, the US rallied from a 7-0 deficit to lead 15-10 lead to half, but fumbled away a try and also missed a penalty goal from in front of the posts. Todd Clever's second try, at 77 minutes, brought the contest to within 3 before a final Maple Leaf penalty closed out the game.

'There were plenty of positives.... Our scrum was very solid and our lineout fired well for the most part. We scored some good tries, and with more time together, the team cohesiveness will only improve,' coach Eddie O'Sullivan said in a press release.

The Maple Leafs retain the Can-Am Trophy, which was not contested a season ago for the first time since it's founding in 1977.

2011 7s Championship: Belmont Shore 37 Schuylkill River 14

Belmont Shore
Tries: Justin Boyd (2), Taylor Howden (2), Ed Pitts, Alex Ross, Riaan Hamilton
Conversion: Shalom Suniula

Gareth Williams (Eddie McKenna) Riaan Hamilton, Taylor Howden, Shalom Suniula, Peter Sio (captain), Ed Pitts, Justin Boyd (Alex Ross)

Schuylkill River
Tries: Dan Wright (2)
Conversions: Dan Wright (2)

William Knipsher, Pat Boyle, Greg Suellentrop (Michael Burch), Randy Helsman, Greg Ambrogi (Joe Bardwell), Dan Wright, Gavin Blower

Referee: Nick Ricono (Southern California)
Attendance: 800 (estimated)

Canada 28 United States 22

Canada
Tries: Jebb Sinclair, Phil Mackenzie, Ed Fairhurst
Conversions: James Pritchard (2)
Penalties: James Pritchard (3)

United States
Tries: Todd Clever (2), Takudzwa Ngwenya
Conversions: Valenese Malifa, Tai Enosa
Penalty: Valenese Malifa

New Zealand Universities Under-21 23 All-Americans 20 (halftime: All-Americans 10-7)

(Palo Alto, California) Replacement flyhalf Dave Neilson stroked three second-half penalty goals to lift New Zealand Universities Under-21 to a 23-20 win over the Collegiate All-Americans Saturday at Steuber Rugby Field.

The Napier Pirates flyhalf's 73d-minute shot proved the deciding score in a second half which saw three lead changes, and capped a 16-5 rally that saw the tourists recover from July 9's wipeout to claim the last of the three-game series.

A sweep was there for the hosts, who scored three tries against two, had they converted ample first-half possession into points. Instead, the Kiwis hung around long enough to nab a 37th-minute touchdown against the run of play, and so began the second stanza with a new confidence.

'We played too many phases, especially in our end, instead of kicking the ball to back them up, and it tired us out,' All-American coach Alex Magleby said after the game.

Dartmouth's Nate Brakeley scored first with a short, bruising 3d-minute run, concluding a purposeful opening passage that demonstrated the All-Americans' edge in size and strength at the breakdown. More such phase play enabled flyhalf JP Eloff to stretch the lead to 10-0 with a short penalty goal at 11 minutes.

The Kiwis wouldn't gain an attacking possession until the 29th minute, but the Ryan Roundy-led side didn't score again in the first period. Though the visitors committed a minimum of players to the breakdown, in order to clutter the midfield, the All-Americans seemed to shy from vertical tactics to test that resolve.

Three minutes before half, center Sam Hall's weaving run made a try for Travis Larson, bringing the halftime count to 10-7.

In the second period, the All-Americans again scored right away. After a tackle by Cal's Derek Asbun caused the Kiwis to spill a ball in the backline, forwards Garrett Lambert and Brakeley combined to send wing Kyle Grossheider off for a converted try.

The New Zealanders hit back at 44 minutes, another long, openfield run, this time from Jesse Johnson, leading to seven-pointer for center Liam Steel. Then Neilson hit his first penalty, awarded for killing play at the breakdown. The 35-yarder earned the tourists their first lead, 17-15 after 49 minutes.

7s Eagle Peter Tiberio answered with a solo run that shaded the efforts Hall and Johnson. Fielding a clearance kick on the left sideline, the Arizona wing passed infield to fullback Duncan Kelm and presently took the return, skipping past three defenders on a 40-yard scoring jaunt.

Neilson sent a 55th-minute chance, given for offside at the breakdown, across the face of the posts. But a subsequent penalty for diving over the ball not only enabled the New Zealanders to tie the match, but also cost hooker Zach Fenoglio a 10-minute suspension. Happily, they conceded no points while shorthanded.

Neilson's matchwinner came in the 73d minute, after a careless high tackle in midfield. By such things are representative matches often decided.

The All-Americans mounted a laudable injury-time drive, crabbing upfield through a dozen or more phases. Yet with the goalline in sight, the attackers mistakenly went short side and the isolated ballcarrier was pushed into touch.

Notwithstanding the disappointment, the inbound tour ranks among the All-Americans' best assemblies since 2001's visit to Ireland. Beyond a clearcut series victory, two of the collegians' best, Blaine Scully and Cam Dolan, were withheld from the finale in a hint the pair may be invited to August's World Cup warmups.

It is fashionable to simply count the number of selections which advance to higher representative honors, but the basis of development success is players in camp, progressing from assembly to assembly. Moreover, several of Saturday's starters look ready for the senior club ranks.

While the full measure of 2011 class remains some years away, USARFU has commendably responded to the disaster of 2007. That year the union manifest disdain for collegiate players by requiring the contemporary squad for the first time to pay its way on tour -- despite millions of new International Rugby Board dollars flowing into Boulder. (Simultaneously, the percentage of past All-Americans in the pre-World Cup squad was slashed to 22 percent from 54 percent a year earlier.) Unsurprisingly, just two of 2007's do-it-yourselfers, Pat Danahy and Kevin Swiryn, have perservered to reach America's 50 finalists for September's World Cup.

This year's tour marks a fine conclusion for outgoing coach Magleby. With a USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship also in his 2011 body of work, Magleby will now assume responsibility for restarting the All-Americans 7s team.

New Zealand Universities Under-21 23 All-Americans 20 (halftime: All-Americans 10-7)

All-Americans
Tries: Nate Brakeley, Kyle Grossheider, Peter Tiberio
Conversion: JP Eloff
Penalty goal: JP Eloff

Duncan Kelm; Peter Tiberio, Seamus Kelly, Gareth Jones (Benji Goff), Kyle Grossheider; JP Eloff (Pat Sullivan), Chris Saint; Mike Su’a (Matt Crawford, Nick Mostyn), Zach Fenoglio (Ray Forrester Andrew Cooke), James Besser (Nick Mostyn Ray Forrester), Chris Parker (Mark Bonham), Nate Brakeley (Nick Civetta), Garrett Lambert (Nick Civetta), Derek Asbun (Jordan Badia-Bellinger), Ryan Roundy (captain, Dave Martini)

New Zealand Universities Under 21
Tries: Travis Larsen, Liam Steel
Conversions: Jesse Johnson, David Neilson
Penalty goals: David Neilson (3)

Hamish Northcott; Bampino Mulipola, Liam Steel, Sam Hall, AN Wright (Luke Fiso); Jesse Johnson (David Neilson), Michael Ruru (Conrad Goodhew); Shay Ashworth, Junior Manase, Jack Higgins, Matt Vellekoop, Mike Allardice (captain, Brad Kilgour), Sonny Ali'ifa'agolo, James Lentjes, Travis Larsen

Referee: Joe Androvich (Pacific Coast)
Attendance: 600 (estimate)

Related stories:

• Workhorses feature in prelim World Cup roster
• 2007 All-Americans named; management draws more fire

 

All-Americans 60 New Zealand Universities Under-21 17 (halftime All Americans 33-5)

Wing Peter Tiberio's hat trick paced the Collegiate All-Americans to a 60-17 win over New Zealand Universities Under 21 Saturday in San Diego.

The 10 tries-to-3 victory is an eye-catching result for the Blaine Scully-led side, which lead by 28 at half. The New Zealanders went unbeaten on a 2009-10 visit to North America.

The Kiwis mustered only last Wednesday Tuesday, while the American squad had trained at the Olympic Training Center, so matches this Wednesday in Santa Barbara and Saturday in Palo Alto may provide a more stringent test of the All-Americans' strength and depth. Two more victories would be an encouraging outcome.

Separately, USARFU Friday served notice of its intention to raise dues by $10, in order to take out mandatory accident insurance on behalf of members. The initiative marks at least the third time in two decades the union has sought to effect compulsory health coverage for players.

Collegiate All-Americans 60 New Zealand Universities Under-21 17 (halftime All-Americans 33-5)

Collegiate All-Americans
Tries: Peter Tiberio (3), Zach Fenoglio (2), James Besser, Gareth Jones, Dustin Muhn, Kyle Grossheider, Andy Cooke
Conversions: JP Eloff (5)

Blaine Scully (captain); Peter Tiberio, Duncan Kelm, Gareth Jones, Dustin Muhn; JP Eloff, Chris Saint; Mike Su'a, Zach Fenoglio, James Besser, Chris Parker, Nate Brakeley, Garrett Lambert, Derek Asbun, Ryan Roundy
Replacements: not available

New Zealand Universities Under 21
Tries: Michael Ruru, Luke Fiso, Conrad Goodhew
Conversions: Michael Neilson

Jesse Johnson; Bampino Mulipola, Sam Hall, Harry Corkill, Luke Fiso; Michael Neilson, Michael Ruru; Shay Ashworth, Adam Lil, Junior Manase, Brad Kilgour, Michael Allardice, James Lentjes, Sam Henwood, Whetu Douglas (captain)

Replacements: not specified

Referee: Nick Ricono (Southern California)
Attendance: not available

United States 32 Russia 25 (halftime: tied, 8-8)

USA replacement wing Tai Enosa's 72d-minute try clinched a back-and-forth, 32-25 win over Russia and fifth place in the final Churchill Cup tournament.

Separately, collegiate try leader Ryan Roundy and Churchill debut international Blaine Scully head the 2011 class of All-Americans, the basis of a 30-man squad to meet New Zealand Universities Under 21 next month in a 3-match set.

'It was a game that could have gone either way, especially when it opened up in the second half. But I think we showed great heart and composure to take a late lead and close out the game,' US coach Eddie O'Sullivan said in a prepared statement.

The seesaw contest, which included 5 ties and 5 lead changes despite soggy conditions, may lessen the sting of the lopsided Tongan loss 10 days earlier. However, the American defense finished the competition having yielded 8 tries and 76 points in 2 tests against lower-ranked opponents. (Counting the England Saxons, the total was 21 tries and 163 points.)

Center Andrew Suniula, who assisted Enosa's gamewinner, and flanker Todd Clever each crossed the line in a 3-minute spell near the hour mark, the latter intercepting a bobbled pass to shortcircuit a major Russian overlap down the left sideline. After the Russians re-tied the contest, Enosa's decider was launched by a counterattack from Scully, apparently just the second student to start an American international since 2006.

With the USA's ranking trending lower over the past five years, including a decline to 17th after the Tonga match, the Kiwi tour could help restore the All-Americans history of fast-tracking to the international level. Besides Cal's Scully, a handful of other honorees -- Cam Dolan (Life), Taylor Mokate (Oklahoma), Peter Tiberio (Arizona), and Roundy (BYU) -- have played for the US 7s team.

But World Cup rosters are due in July August., so the likelihood of new blood reaching New Zealand is low. Russia and the US meet there on September 15.

The NZU U21 tour opens July 9 in San Diego.

United States 32 Russia 25 (halftime: tied, 8-8)

United States
Tries: Paul Emerick, Andrew Suniula, Todd Clever, Tai Enosa
Conversions: Valenese Malifa (3)
Penalties: Valenese Malifa (2)

Blaine Scully; Colin Hawley (Tai Enosa), Paul Emerick, Andrew Suniula, Kevin Swiryn; Valenese Malifa, Mike Petri (Tim Usasz); Mate Moeakiola (Eric Fry), Chris Biller, Shawn Pittman, John van der Giessen, Scott Lavalla, Inaki Basauri (Nic Johnson), Todd Clever (captain), Louis Stanfill (Pat Danahy)

Russia
Tries: Vladamir Ostroushko, Alexander Voytov, Vasily Artemyev
Conversions: Yuri Kushnarev (2)
Penalties: Yuri Kushnarev (2)

Igor Klyuchnikov; Vasily Artemyev, Mikhail Babaev, Alexey Makovetskiy, Vladamir Ostroushko; Yuri Kushnarev, Alexander Shakirov; Sergey Popov, Vladislav Korshunov, Ivan Prischepenko (Alexey Chernyshov), Alexander Voytov, Denis Antonov, Andrey Temnov, Andrey Garbuzov (Alexey Panasenko), Vyacheslav Grachev (Victor Gresev)

Referee: Dave Pearson (England)
Attendance: not available

College representative play on its way out

College all-star rugby looks to be winding down, the first notable consequence of the shift to management by conference.

The past weekend's Inter-Territorial Tournament, won by the South, may have been the last of its kind. Leading figures in the young College Management Council believe the one-off, 'pay to play' environment falls well short of a meaningful development program, and that groupings such as the Atlantic Coast Rugby League or Southwest Rugby Conference have more important business elsewhere.

'You either use an all-star program to develop players or select players for participation at a higher level. The [National College All-Star Championship] did neither. A weekend tournament isn't a very effective development tool, and it certainly was no longer used as a method of selecting All-Americans, so why have it?' one person observed.

'If anyone wants to know who our best players are, they can look at our all-conference teams as voted on by the coaches. If we did put a "select side" together, it would be [for] showcase/exhibition purposes', another individual said.

Not two years ago, college territorial coaches complained that the all-star tournament was being shortchanged. Although no less than USARFU chief executive Nigel Melville sought to assuage the aggrieved, the outburst signaled broad discontent. For most of the previous decade, university teams constituted America's fastest-growing segment, and territorial management was not keeping pace.

The episode led to the formation of the US College Rugby Association, a framework for more direct input, and also the College Premier Division, a nationwide, quasi-independent competition. Simultaneously, many school leaders began gravitating to the view that representative opportunities should be managed by USARFU's high performance specialists.

Few of the 80-odd players named CPD all-stars earlier this month were at the ITT. Though USARFU's All-American team has yet to be announced, the tournament yielded few if any surprises, according to people familiar with the selection process.

As with the end of the senior ITT, the passing of college select-side play may lead to claims that players from smaller programs lack access to the All-Americans. It is one thing to stage tryout camps, and another to have an inclusive process for issuing invitations. One committee member acknowledged USARFU is wrestling with the matter.

Unlike the club game, however, the schools already have a new organizational structure in place. The collapse of the senior select sides, combined with USARFU's meandering approach to 'sub international' competition, has served as a reminder that overhauling the governance of senior clubs has ground on and on.

In a related matter, more than a dozen college conferences will meet criteria entitling their regular-season championships to automatically qualify for USARFU's divisional national titles, according to people familiar with the matter. With a handful of schools leaving the CPD after its inaugural year, the first division playoffs may become more competitive.

Related:
     Territorial coaches call for sweeping college reform
     Canceling New England selects continues college losing streak
     College ITT tournament seen in disarray

American rugby's inflection point?

There may be no recovering from Saturday's 87-8 loss to England's 'A' side, not because the test squad was irretrievably poor, but as momentum has completely shifted to Olympic-driven 7s.

This morning in America, the most important rugby story is the USA Sevens College Rugby Championship, captured by Dartmouth yesterday with a 32-10 win over Army. Though play was sometimes error-strewn, the second-year event drew national sponsors, 17,000-plus fans, and 14 hours of live television.

Quite obviously, the 2016 Games are fueling seven-a-side's surge. It's equally apparent the USA 7s organization has crafted a cohesive strategy and is executing well. The checklist includes rehabilitating and relocating America's Sevens World Series stop, devising a profitable audience-TV-sponsorship formula, and expanding into the schools market.

By contrast, USARFU's 'tests first' strategy has all but failed. Jointly funded by rising player dues and International Rugby Board 'development' grants, the union has never had more money and resources for representative play than during the past five years. But results have not improved and in some cases deteriorated.

Now the Churchill Cup is on its last legs. With the 2011 World Cup now projected to lose money, the loss-making Americas Rugby Championship and other future grants from Dublin are in jeopardy.

Saturday's catastrophic loss is the worst in Churchill history, surpassing the New Zealand Maori’s 74-6 victory over Peter Thorburn's Eagles at Santa Clara in 2006 and easily beating the England Saxons' previous best, a 62-10 win over the Eagles in Nepean, Ontario, in 2008.

Time was, a 13 tries-to-1 international defeat would have prompted uproar. These days, many leading volunteer officials have shifted their attention to the college, high school, and youth segments. Moreover, most of American rugby's elective positions culminate with the congress, which the board typically ignores.

For USARFU, the main question now is whether Kevin Roberts' board, which has twice adopted strategic plans premised on international rugby's becoming a revenue engine, is willing to adapt an approach that's aligned with America's growth dynamics.

The road back is daunting. There is no longer any senior domestic representative game, and if it is to spring back to life, the union must first complete its seemingly interminable 'geographic restructuring'. While the college Inter-Territorial Tournament remains in place, the schools are now governed by self-organizing conferences with no inherently shared philosophy of representative play.

Not that students have been part of recent ARC or Churchill squads. The trend began with Thorburn's shunning All-Americans is favor of club veterans, while Scott Johnson went looking overseas for 'America eligible' players, most of whom hadn't so much as played in the US and so weren't likely to contribute back to the domestic game.

Further, Boulder actively works to send top homegrown players overseas, in order to improve their 'daily training environment'. (Most of the World Cup probables now train full time, obviating the 'pros versus joes' explanation for Saturday's loss.) However effective the so-called export strategy may be, it has two side effects: alienating senior clubs, which feel they receive nothing in return, and divorcing the Eagles from everyone else, including rugby's natural fan base.

By consequence, the way has been cleared for 7s players to become the face of the game in America, and economic benefits are following. Dartmouth collected a $20,000 prize for winning. Eagles were first promised contracts in 2006, but USARFU has continuously struggled with modest per diems. With most players and coaches now belonging to the school ranks, it is little wonder they are primarily eyeing the 2016 Olympics, not the 2015 World Cup.

Wednesday in England, there are 13 new players in the starting lineup to face Tonga, with Todd Clever captaining from openside flanker. The contest that has a 'must win' feel to it, not only because Tonga is ranked one place lower in the IRB standings but also because archrival Canada Saturday upended Italy 'A', thus drawing a sharp contrast in the trajectory of the North American rivals.

In Denver, Denver-area Glendale captured the division 1 title with a 20-15 win over San Francisco's Olympic Club, while New Orleans defeated the Tampa Bay Krewe 27-21 for the division 2 crown, and Minneapolis' Metropolis bested Syracuse 46-25 for the third-grade championship.

England Saxons 87 USA 8

England Saxons
Tries: Miles Benjamin (3), Mike Brown (2), Micky Young, penalty try, Tom Johnson, Billy Twelvetrees, Henry Trinder, Charlie Sharples, Graham Kitchener, Paul Hodgson
Conversions: Rory Clegg (11)

United States
Try: Scott Lavalla
Penalty: Tai Enosa

United States v Tonga
Roland Suniula (Boston), Colin Hawley (Olympic Club), Paul Emerick (Life Univ.), Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins), Kevin Swiryn (Agen); Valenese Malifa (Glendale Raptors), Tim Usasz (Nottingham); Mate Moeakiola (undeclared), Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate), Shawn Pittman (London Welsh), Louis Stanfill (Moglianto), Scott Lavalla (undeclared), Inaki Basauri (L'Aquila), Todd Clever (captain, Suntory), Nic Johnson (undeclared)
Replacements: Phil Thiel (Life Univ.), Eric Fry (Las Vegas Blackjacks), John van der Giessen (Utah Warriors), Pat Danahy (Life Univ.), Mike Petri (New York AC), Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore), Troy Hall (New York AC)

7s changes ahead of televised college tournament

Eligibility changes providing 7s players and teams independence from 15s outfits are finding favor among the abbreviated game's loyalists.

'Practically all of [our] recommendations' are in the new guidelines, one senior coach observed. 'The new 7s reg[ulation]s are ones I've been pushing for years', another added.

With some 14 hours of the college 7s championship to be nationally televised this weekend, the revised rules could make it easier for rugby to immediately take in new recruits.

American eligibility rules have often been criticized as needlessly complex, and even parodied as designed to discourage participation. In 7s, squads which qualified for the national championships have founded themselves barred for bureaucratic infractions unwittingly made by volunteer administrators.

Among the key changes are allowing specialty 7s clubs, and enabling a player to compete for a 7s club different from his or her 15s affiliation. Prohibitions had been in place due in part to the 1987 crown won by the Duck Brothers, an agglomeration of players mainly from the Washington DC area.

The new rules do restrict players to *representative* teams within the same territory as their 15s 7s club. (In the 1980s, there was one Eastern territory where now there are three entities.) Also, 10 members of any given squad must be eligible for the national team.

'These changes allow teams to get up and going right away, and make playing sevens friendlier and also more competitive', Tam Breckinridge, eligibility committee chair, said in a prepared statement.

In theory, *players from* the 16 entrants in the College Rugby Championship could register with USARFU by June 15, so as to compete together this summer. (Boulder's initiative for a university competition remains on the drawing board.) In practice, there is only one other 7s tournament in North America to rival the PPL Park event, and not coincidentally it is run by the same folks who stage the USA 7s.

Based on press coverage, including a piece by Pennsylvania's former governor, the tournament's media footprint looks to be among the most prodigious in the annals of American rugby. Like Las Vegas in February, NBC's coverage on network and cable (Versus and NBC Universal) channels will culminate in a prime-time telecast of the finals on Sunday at 5:19 ET.

The second-year event will easily overshadow the Churchill Cup's opening round, even though both are carried by NBC properties, as well as the division 1 final four, to be shown on a pair of satellite TV stations.

Utah, not perennial favorite Cal, is the defending 7s champion.

In Denver, hometown Glendale meets the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, a two-time past champion which joined and then exited the Super League, and Palmer tackles the Olympic Club.

In Northampton, England, where the US opens with the England Saxons, the starting backline has a mix-and-match look. In their debut 15s matches, NYAC's Troy Hall starts at flyhalf and San Francisco Golden Gate Mile Pulu is at wing, wide of his club position at inside center. Meanwhile Belmont Shore's Tai Enosa, typically a pivot, lines up at outside center and the Utah Warriors' Mike Palefau, capped at wing, goes to fullback in his first appearance since running out against the Saxons in the 2008 Churchill.

Also in his first game for the USA is Golden Gate's Dan La Prevotte, in the backrow with Life's Pat Danahy and the University of Cape Town's JJ Gagiano.

Halfback Mike Petri is captain.

'It is an opportunity for a number of players who have limited experience with the Eagles up until now, to test themselves in what will be a very tough environment', O’Sullivan said in a press release.

The Eagles next face Tonga in a full international, and possibly Canada or Russia in the finals round. All three opponents would count in the vital International Rugby Board rankings.

United States v England Saxons
Mike Palefau (Utah Warriors); Milemoto Pulu (San Francisco Golden Gate), Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore), Junior Sifa (Nottingham), Colin Hawley (Olympic Club); Troy Hall (New York AC), Mike Petri (captain, New York AC); Eric Fry (Las Vegas Blackjacks), Phil Thiel (Life Univ.), Will Johnson (London Irish), John van der Giessen (Utah Warriors), Scott LaValla (Stade Francais), Pat Danahy (Life Univ.), Dan LaPrevotte (San Francisco Golden Gate), JJ Gagiano (Univ. of Cape Town)
Reserves: Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate), Shawn Pittman (London Welsh), Louis Stanfill (Mogliano), Tim Usasz (Nottingham), Roland Suniula (Boston), Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins)

Univ. of California 21 Brigham Young Univ. 14 (halftime: Cal 13-7)

(Salt Lake City) All-American Seamus Kelly's mid-second half try proved the matchwinner in Cal's tense 21-14 victory over Brigham Young, earning the Bears a perfect season and 26th national title.

BYU's Sosaia ('Hynie') Leaaetoa rammed a tap move through the Bears' goalline defense with 11 minutes remaining, bringing the forward-oriented contest to within seven, but down the stretch the defending champs squelched every challenge. Twice in final minutes, Cal throttled attacking Cougar lineouts, and in injury time nabbed a tighthead.

Flyhalf James Bailes, whose inside dash created the space for Kelly's scoring run toward the left corner, added 11 points on 4 of 6 goalkicking.

Not often are championship matches won on the touchline. Saturday, before possibly the largest non-test crowd in modern American history, the strategy hatched by Cal's Jack Clark and Tom Billups not only induced Cougar errors at the lineout and elsewhere, but also exposed the locals' inability to shift gears. BYU struggled to control its field position and so played long periods without the ball, because often when it did get possession the imperative was to clear its end.

'[Cal's] game plan won through tonight," BYU coach David Smyth acknowledged in an interview with Salt Lake City's Deseret News.

In a much-anticipated matchup of Collegiate Premier unbeatens, the challengers started quickly, running captain and 7s Eagle Ryan Roundy and center Seki Kafe into the line; shunting Cal toward its end; and even winning a scrum against the feed. But there were no points to show for a strong first quarter's work. BYU halfback Shaun Davies left a 35-yard left sideline penalty short, and while Leaaetoa misplayed a potential 3-on-1.

Bailes also missed a three-pointer, but the chance portended change of momentum. At 23 minutes, Cal flanker Derek Asbun carried a lineout maul into the tryzone for the opening score, converted by Bailes.

Just before half, an offensive flurry broke out. First Bailes stroked a midrange shot, following a period when BYU could not escape its end. Then Cougar flyhalf Dylan Lubbe chipped ahead down his left sideline, forcing the cover defense into a rushed clearance and leading to BYU flanker Apenisa Malani's 38th minute try.

BYU did a poor job fielding the resulting kickoff, however, yielding Cal an attacking lineout that led to a second Bailes penalty. The sequence not only cost three points but also denied the Cougars halftime momentum.

The storyline changed little in the second period. It's not merely that Cal dominated possession while minimizing BYU's chances to exploit turnovers, but also that BYU couldn't force the Bears to change tactics, to play differently.

A more wide-open contest would have brought knowledgeable, vocal fans into the mix. The Cougars counter-rucked diligently, led by all-star prop Mikey Su'a; but with five, six or even seven Bear forwards on hand, the ball unfailingly came back and the partisans had little to cheer.

Bailes stroked a third penalty at 50 minutes, after the Cougars had spent a long period defending their end, to make the count 16-7.

Despite all to Cal's liking, the contest might have shifted right before the start of the fourth quarter. At last BYU edged upfield, and dangerous ballcarriers like lock Viliami Vimahi found space in the backline. But thrice the challengers spilled the ball in attack. Cal halfback Connor Ring's 60-yard bolt from a turnover ruck punctured the sequence and led to Kelly's 61st-minute touchdown.

Leaaetoa's try create a last burst of suspense. Though the Bears lead the head-to-head series 6-1, BYU-Cal more often than not produces hard matches rather different from one-sided scorelines that typified this season's College Premier Division. 'I really do believe that if [BYU] would have had those lineout balls, it would have been a different story,' Clark told the Deseret News.

In steamy Atlanta, San Francisco Golden Gate opened a 17-9 halftime lead over Life University behind tries from Samu Manoa and Folau Moleloa, en route to 20-15 Super League championship.

Flyhalf Volney Rouse, who booted the winning score in the Golden Gate's 2009 finals victory over the Running Eagles, added 10 points via 2 conversions and a pair of penalties. Life fullback Aaron McMaster accounted for all of his side's scoring with 5 penalty goals.

For Paul Keeler's troops, the win marks a third consecutive playoff triumph over Life, twice in the championship match.

Combined with Jesuit's 50-27 win over Xavier in the schoolboy final, the Cal and SFGG triumphs produced Northern California's sweep of 2011's foremost competitions: high school, College Premier, and Super League.

In London, the Eagles upset Argentina 22-21 but then dropped 3 straight games at the England 7s tournament. The Matt Hawkins-led squad wraps up the Sevens World Series season this weekend in Scotland.

Univ. of California 21 Brigham Young Univ. 14 (halftime: Cal 13-7)

California
Tries: Derek Asbun, Seamus Kelly
Conversions: James Bailes
Penalties: James Bailes (3)

Blaine Scully; Dustin Muhn, Seamus Kelly, Sean Gallinger, James McTurk; James Bailes, Connor Ring (Paul Bosco); Jeremy Deterding (Tanner Mohr), Neill Barrett, James Besser, Drew Hyjer, Derek Asbun (captain, Jason Law), Thomas Rooke, Danny Barrett

Brigham Young
Tries: Apenisa Malani, Sosaia Leaaetoa
Conversions: Shaun Davies (2)

Andrew Harrison; Joseph Nicholls, Seki Kafe, Jared Whippy, Zeke Mendenhall; Dylan Lubbe, Shaun Davies; Mikey Su'a, Ishmael Tilialo, Ray Forrester, Mark Bonham, Viliami Vimahi, Apenisa Malani, Sosaia Leaaetoa, Ryan Roundy (captain)

Referee: Gareth Morgan (South and United States)
Attendance: 9,100 (estimated)

Trio of past All-Americans showcased at college semis

Saturday's college semifinals showcased a trio of coaches who gained prominence with All-American teams at the start of the 2000s, thereby marking a rapid transition from playing to coaching success.

Arkansas State coach Matt Huckaby and Brigham Young assistant Kimball Kjar were 2001-02 All Americans, while Utah head man Blake Burdette won schoolboy honors a few seasons later. Kjar and Burdette went on to earn World Cup caps, while Huckaby was a 7s Eagle.

The generation's list of college standouts-turned-national team regulars includes Mike MacDonald, Matt Wyatt, Kort Schubert, Todd Clever, Mike Petri, and Paul Emerick, a cohort impressive in its own right. But it is particularly unusual that the three young coaches have already steered their charges to the final four.

Interestingly, all are coaching at their alma mater, suggesting the trio have understood how to translate the experience of international rugby to native rugby environments on campus.

Matt Sherman, also from the era, helped San Diego State to the 2009 semis, before moving on to division 1 Stanford.

Arkansas State, BYU, and Cal all made repeat trips to the 2011 semis, while Utah reversed last season's quarterfinal loss to Army.

Related: Huckaby succession as Arkansas St gains ground

Circling back on minors

Earlier this month, an underage player came to be the topic of Gainline's comments section, thereby reacquainting rugby with the thorny question of whether minors are a suitable topic for civic journalism.

Here is my view: In off-field matters, I prefer to treat individuals, youth or adult, only when they shape public policy or at least are part of administrative proceedings. In this way, the discussion is shaped by the public record. As matches are inherently a matter of public record, there is a rough symmetry to the approach.

I can remember only one occasion when Gainline singled out a player in an off-field context. In 2008, America-qualified but England resident Chris Wyles was contracted by USARFU and 'loaned' to the Premiership's Saracens so he could train professionally and yet be available to the Eagles outside of the approved window for international matches. The move raised the issue whether the union was creatively managing the fullback's everyday schedule, or paying an Englishman to practice and live in England.

In the more recent case, I acknowledge it is meaningful to discuss how and why high school players choose college programs. Certainly school-age football and basketball players attract such attention: indeed, there are business devoted to following their recruitment.

On the other hand, to scrutinize rugby neophytes who are not public figures in any meaningful sense, and not typically themselves part of the conversation here, is to transform any topic into voyeurism, or worse.

Not a few of Gainline's readers are high schoolers, and my intent is that the site remains a serious-minded place for American enthusiasts of all ages. I would hope that those folks making comments will respect these views, and I reserve the right to moderate the conversation.

A USARFU official took umbrage with yesterday's post on New Zealand Universities Under 21. Boulder has agreed older players will be part of the Kiwi tour squad. Very well, call the side NZU 'A'.

The upshot remains that the tour does not pit their best students against ours. Moreover, we should not be content with staging such matches, since USARFU's tax intake funds representative play. Not only winning but also profiting from higher-profile games should be the standards of success.